Hot, sweet, savory and satisfying, there is a pepper to suit every pallet. Whether you are using them to flavor your meatballs or spice up salsa, there are limitless culinary uses. Recipes abound to use this delightful veg as more than a simple ingredient. From Stuffed Peppers to Roasted Pepper Soup the pepper deserves a staring role at meal time too. Colorful, versatile and easy to grow, peppers are an essential to a kitchen garden.
Peppers were discovered in the new world by Columbus and embraced by Europe when he returned. The health benefits of hot and sweet peppers are many. Foodpaper.com lists the top as;
- lowers the risk of certain cancers, such as prostate and cervical
- contains high levels of beta-carotene
- high concentration of Vitamin A aids against vision loss
- boosts immunity levels
There are numerous choices of peppers to plant. Choose what suits your taste. For our climate these are good choices for growing;
- Sweet Peppers -
- Green - Big Bertha, California Wonder, Yolo Wonder strains, North Star, Staddon's Select, Canape, Lady Bell, Jupiter, Bell Boy
- Yellow - Summer Sweet 860 (green turning yellow)
- Banana - Sweet Banana
- Hot Peppers - Hungarian Wax, Long Red Cayenne, Large Red Cherry
- Pimento Peppers - Sunnybrook, Early Pimento
Hicory Dell Farm in Northampton has been run by three generations of Omasta's. Faye and John are experts in raising cattle, llamas and growing vegetables. We were amazed at the size and beauty of the pepper starts they were selling at the Springfield Farmer's Market this past Tuesday. Faye has been kind enough to give us some tips for cultivating a healthy harvest of fruit.
Peppers are easy to go and don't require to many complicated tricks;
- They need full sun.
- They like soil that drains well (don't like to sit in water) but like a moist atmosphere.
- It is best to purchase starter plants that have been grown locally as they are acclimated to our climate and tend to be healthier, more robust growers.
- Peppers and tomatoes like a similar garden location but not the same soil amendments. Tomatoes like grass clipping (nitrogen) while peppers prefer magnesium (epsom salts).
- Llama manure is a great fertilizer.
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For More Recipes www.recipes-simpleandsatisfying.com and www.terra-americana.com/recipes
Find it Locally:
245 West Farms Road
Northampton, MA Directions
"We still have lots of vegetable starts and we do offer "shovel your own" llama manure."
While you are there check out their gift shop, it offers an amazing array of locally produced products and unique gift ideas.
413-586-0031 HickoryDell@aol.com
Store Hours
Monday - Thursday 10 - 5:30
Friday - Sunday 10 - 5
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